We cannot afford to lose a single baby gorilla – let alone twins
The sun is just breaking through the mist hanging over the forest
Somewhere in the dense undergrowth, a mother gorilla is moving slowly. Her troop is already far ahead. She is breathing heavily. In each arm, she carries a tiny newborn baby, two fragile bundles of fur clinging on for dear life.
Too small to move on their own. Too fragile to survive without her.
You might think of twins as a blessing for a mother gorilla. But for Mafuko, they mean even more danger.
Normally, a mother would hold her newborn with one arm while she searched for food. But Mafuko faces a far greater challenge. To keep both babies safe, she must carry one in each arm.
Double the babies means more than double the risk
Life is hard, exhausting, even, for Mafuko. She is already weak from the after-effects of giving birth, and from feeding two babies at the same time. Finding food is difficult. Eating it is difficult. And if danger appears, she cannot run as quickly or climb to safety.
Yet Mafuko must keep moving to stay with her troop and find food. She has no choice.
Twin births among mountain gorillas are incredibly rare. Most mothers raise just one infant every four years. These are two fragile new lives in a forest where survival is never guaranteed.
And Mafuko already knows how quickly miracles can be lost.
Mafuko has already known terrible loss
When Mafuko was only four years old, her own mother was killed by poachers.
Years later, she gave birth to twins of her own. Tragically, those babies survived only a few days. Most gorilla twins die very soon after birth. The forest is one of the most unforgiving places on earth.
Now Mafuko has been given another chance.
But there are dangers no mother gorilla can overcome alone.
Every baby gorilla is a small miracle
The first months of life are the most dangerous for gorillas. Disease can strike at any time. Deadly traps set by poachers can maim or kill gorillas at any age.
Poachers do not set out to harm gorillas, but their traps cannot determine what they catch. All too often it is a fragile baby. Or their mother.
Every baby gorilla is a small miracle.
But miracles cannot survive without protection.
When a single baby gorilla dies, we do not lose just one life. We lose the countless generations that would have followed. That is why we must protect every gorilla we can.
The dangers are growing for Mafuko’s babies
Mafuko’s twins have made it through their first critical weeks. But life does not get any easier.
Many newborn gorilla twins do not survive for long. Life is simply too hard for them and their mothers. And even now, the dangers keep growing.
Mafuko is less mobile when it comes to fleeing from danger. She is slower too. That means she cannot always keep up with the rest of the troop. If they have to run, there is a real risk she and her twins will be left behind.
We have to get help to vulnerable gorillas like Mafuko and her twins before it is too late.
Your gift can help keep gorillas safe
Your donation today can help protect vulnerable gorillas like Mafuko and her twins across the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
With your support, rangers can:
- find and destroy deadly snares
- carry out patrols to monitor gorilla families
- stand between gorillas and poachers, illegal miners and armed militias
- keep vital ranger teams going with food, fuel and essential supplies
- help restore and protect gorilla habitat
This work is hard. It is exhausting. But it saves lives. And it cannot happen without caring people like you.
What your gift could do
- £35 could help provide tools used by ranger teams to find and destroy deadly snares.
- £50 could help provide a ranger with food rations and essential supplies for a month.
- £138 could help fund patrols that locate and remove lethal traps.
- £175 could help cover fuel and running costs for tough and reliable ranger vehicles.
- £690 could help plant 1,000 new trees to restore and protect gorilla habitats.
We cannot lose the next generation
Not every gorilla will make it through to adulthood. Life in the forest is simply too challenging.
If we are to succeed in saving gorillas from extinction, it will take the combined efforts of everyone who cares about them.
The rangers are already playing their part. They are even prepared to risk their own lives to protect these wonderful animals.
Please make a donation today, and please be as generous as you can.
